The Vikings Offensive Line Continues Up and Down Season
Brett Peterson
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The Minnesota Vikings have been searching quite a long time for a competent offensive line.
We have been through a long line of guards throughout the last five years or so, going through guys like Dakota Dozier and Dru Samia.
The tackle spots have been taken care of the last few season as Christian Darrisaw is a top 5 offensive tackle in the league and Brian O’Neill is an all around super solid tackle on the right side. The center position has been anchored by Garrett Bradbury since 2019.
Bradbury has finally round into form as a solid player the last two seasons. Moving to the guards, Dalton Risner has taken over for former three year starter Ezra Cleveland, who is now on the Jacksonville Jaguars, and second year man Ed Ingram has improved from his poor rookie season in 2022.
The Pieces are Coming Together for the Vikings
With two bookend tackles in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, Minnesota has figured out two key positions along the offensive line. O’Neill hasn’t been quite as good so far in 2023, but he is only just over a year removed from an achilles injury that cut his 2022 season short. Darrisaw, once again, has been playing at an all-pro level. Darrisaw is the fourth-highest graded offensive tackle in the league according to PFF at a grade of 83.7.
Viking’s right guard Ed Ingram has slowly made improvements over the course of the 2023 season. The former LSU Tiger has looked stronger and more polished in his footwork during his second season in the league. His 62.5 pass blocking PFF grade may not look fantastic but it’s greatly improved from his 42.6 grade his rookie season.
Minnesota also traded for former Bronco Dalton Risner mid-season, and he almost immediately supplanted himself in the starting lineup. Risner is a bully at the left guard position and brings a nastiness the Vikings truly need in the trenches. He is a free agent after this season, but Risner seems to love it in the the Land of 10,000 Lakes so don’t be surprised if we see an extension for him sometime at the beginning of the off-season.
Lastly, looking at the center position. Garrett Bradbury has played pretty well the last two seasons under head coach Kevin O’Connell. Bradbury has looked improve, especially in the pass game, but still struggles at times against top tier defensive tackles. The fifth-year man is currently ranked as the 17th-highest graded center out of 39 eligible playerswith at least 400 snaps, according to PFF.
Bradbury has been slightly above average, but he’s been steadily refining his game to make himself a solid player in the middle of the offensive line.
Overall, Minnesota has some solid pieces to work with, especially at the tackle spots. If Ed Ingram continues to get better each season and Dalton Risner gets more comfortable in the system. Minnesota will continue to get better as a unit. Add Garrett Bradbury in as a solid veteran at center, the offensive line could be set for the foreseeable future.
The next big question mark is who will be playing under center in 2024, as the Vikings were finding their groove right before Kirk Cousins went down with his achilles injury. Minnesota struggled a little more as an offensive line with Josh Dobbs as the signal caller, but looked a little better on Saturday with Nick Mullens starting.
The unit up front seems to be used to a refined pocket passer, as Kirk Cousins has been back there essentially every game since 2018. We will see if Minnesota looks to the draft for their next franchise quarterback, and if O’Connell keys on a guy whose traits align with what this offensive line is most comfortable with.